My Sister as a Case Study- Vallarie Perez

So I really enjoyed reading Boyd's book and I appreciated the views she decided to share about her perception of the effects of social media on young adults. I found her claims to be very plausible as is by simply comparing them to my own feelings and also to my experiences as a younger teen who regularly interacted on social media. Reading Boyd's book was refreshing, because it proved that my feelings about social media were not fundamentally based on the fact that I am a part of my own age group and that teens simply do not have the ability to think in terms of adults. Boyd entirely eliminates the validity of any such argument throughout her book and explains the prevalence of social media in the lives of teens and also assesses the reasoning behind the concerns of parents while explaining why they aren't necessarily accurate. I have a sixteen year old sister, freshly sixteen, I might add. I'm close to her and I decided to talk to her about social media and why she's so heavily engaged with it. She's very open with me so I knew the conversation would flow freely and that she wouldn't feel the need to adjust her claims, which is part of the reason I decided to talk to her about this at all. As expected, she told me exactly how she felt about the claims I relayed to her that people had made in regard to their fears about adolescent "dependency" on social media (as explained by Boyd). My sister's answers did nothing but affirm the premises upon which Boyd presented her claim. It was cool to me, to see evidence of Boyd's claims supported by someone who was so close to me, because it proves that her research was strikingly accurate. Teens just want to hang out, away from their parents, and take advantage of the option to be connected to people they feel they can relate the most to at this point in their lives- their friends.

Edited Emotions- Vallarie Perez

One of the phenomenons about social media that I find the most striking is the fact that it enables us to literally share emotions at the very moment we feel them. Everyone's logged onto one of their social media applications and been annoyed at someone they follow or are "friends" with who are engaging in some sort of emotional rant. (Despite the fact that the majority of us are probably guilty of taking part in this type of thing) I find it so strange, how social media allows us to both communicate our emotions and in turn be exposed to the emotions of others in the very moment they are experiencing them. Often times, I have found from my own experience and from perceiving the rants of others, people delete certain posts a minute or two after sharing them. It's as if social media acts as a means by which we can immediately react, whether it be out of anger or sadness or happiness, and then we're allowed to "take back" the emotion, by deleting it, which is an option we don't have in real life circumstances. In this sense, social media provides the option to "edit" our emotions, and even to delete their existence, at least if we decide that we don't want people to see them after all. Assessing this brings me to the realization that not only does social media allow people to have access to what activities you're doing, where you might be, and what you contemplated over the course of the day; but it additionally allows people to literally "get inside your head," accessing your most raw emotions and initial reactions to whatever the situation may be. Talk about reduced privacy. It is important to consider though, of course, that they can only be aware of what you allow them to know.

Heavy Books Light Analysis- Vallarie Perez

I'm guilty of wanting a lot of things that I don't necessarily need. I am a human being existing in the year 2014. That sentence alone exposes the fact that I probably value convenience over a lot of other qualities. It's embedded in our society. My point, is that I want a MacBook. I've wanted a MacBook for about three years now, and I still haven't gotten one. Since arriving to college, I noticed the amount of students that did have them, and when I looked into purchasing one, I realized, that well, I couldn't. Since then, I've resented the fact that I've had to lug the huge laptop we share as a family at home to campus when necessary. When I caught wind of this device called a "Kindle," it seemed cool, but didn't appeal to me as much as a MacBook did. The more I considered the option though, the more appealing it became, especially since it was far less expensive and I'd be able to access the required reading materials I needed for school via this device. While contemplating my options and doing some research, I thought about the "F Pattern" reading we did earlier in the term. I wondered then, does this tendency we have to scan versus read and critically analyze also carry over to and add to an even higher degree of falling victim to the "F Pattern." I do believe that a more quality analysis occurs when students are using actual textbooks as oppose to digital versions of the material, and I can't help but wonder if not only being able to access the material online, but further, implement devices as a "kindle" as main sources of information rather than turning pages in textbooks makes students even more negligent than previously hypothesized.

Where Does it End- Vallarie Perez

Saturday and Sunday mornings when I don't have work are typically spent having breakfast with my mother. I make a conscious effort when we do decide to have breakfast together to leave my cellphone upstairs in my room. The decision to routinely separate myself from my mobile device during this time with her has stemmed from my frustration with the fact that I can't help but notice that my family has the tendency to neglect the value of actual interactive conversation and has in turned compromised it for the consumption of social media. I am guilty of the same. It's ironic, isn't it, that social media has the power to in fact make us less social, at least in the settings that matter. Can you tell I'm annoyed? Anyway, I left my phone upstairs for breakfast as I typically do, and made sure to remind my mother that I wanted to talk to her about some things (and to leave the damn phone alone). Believe it or not, my parents are more glued to their phones than I am. I think it has something to do with the fact that they're only forty years old, thus, we're twenty years apart. Facebook is to them now what Myspace used to be to me when I was like ten. Practically a lifeline. They have Instagrams too. Anyway, I keep getting sidetracked. So, we were talking and down comes my younger brother from his room. He has his Iphone in his hand, and to my dismay, throws the phone on the counter, says, "watch this" and walks back up the stairs to his room. I was appalled. (My mother never objected to his behavior and I couldn't find the words to say anything to her either.) Immediately I thought about this class and Boyd's work on teens. Is this really what the exchange of opinion and simple parent-child interaction has come to? Does the generation behind my own really think it is acceptable to simply throw a phone or an opinion in someone's face via some sort of digital device and then walk away without presenting their own interpretations or asking questions about the way the person they presented it to reacted to it? It made me think about the way I want to raise my children, and what I hope I'll do my best to instill in them as well as prohibit them from doing.

Green Class

The experience was very.. green. I mean that in the best way. I arrived to Kiokoffer today to be redirected by one of my classmates to the back staircase of LAC and informed that we would be having class outside today. Aside from wishing I had brought the sunglasses I had contemplated on wearing today, this news was literally a breath of fresh air that I happened to need desperately since I was unable to acquire my coffee until after I had arrived to Naperville. (Getting out of bed today was harder than usual) My drink tasted even better outside. The last time I had a class held outdoors was spring term of 2013. Upon arriving, I heard an old professor of mine giving my current professor a hard time about treating us to this type of academic environment claiming she had "given up." It was funny, I guess. I laughed anyway. There is something about being exposed to an excessive amount of vitamin D that made me want to listen and interact today despite the fact that it's Friday of week nine and I have a lot to look forward to upon returning to the city. Today we covered some of Phyllis Wheatley's work, and the initial prompt for discussion took an interesting turn. Rather than the usual thematic analysis and the practice of prose we usually cover in 18th century context, we shifted today to a more contemporary analysis, one that analyzed the social implications of Wheatley's work in today's society. We ended up discussing socioeconomic status and the manner in which it tends to limit the potential of education. It ended up being a more open ended sort of class, one that was rooted in conversation and a very meek form of debate. It was interesting because it was relevant. I like hearing my classmates speak and I like responding to what they have to say. It's fun comparing our perceptions and realizing that the variance in our ideas is molded by where we come from. The places we grew up have molded our reality to at least a certain degree, if not a very significant one. I enjoyed it a lot and it woke me up a little before our exam. Happy Friday.

Social Media Dependency and Drugs

I liked the correlation the authors made between the research they did on social media dependency and research on drugs. I say this for two reasons. The first being that I feel as if it has become far more common in recent times for teens to be openly experimenting with different types of drugs which made the comparison even more relevant, and also because I think the comparison is accurate to a significant degree. Referring to users logging on as them getting "a fix" is something that seemed entirely plausible when I read the article. As I had previously mentioned in my former blog post, half the time I log on, I don't even know why I do it. I am not searching for specific information or in need of knowing what's going on with everyone I follow at that very moment in time. I feel that this truth is representative of regular drug users as well. Despite the fact that drug abuse does usually stem from a person's circumstances as a method of coping, I feel that eventually, once they become regular users they certainly do not have a specific explanation for every time they use either. They just do it to get the rush out and it helps them in some way feel okay for a larger portion of their day. Social media has become a part of my daily routine. I wake up and while I'm still in bed I log on to twitter to see who tweeted over night. It isn't because I care or need to know but simply to pass the time, I don't even think about it. My problem, however, with the comparison to drugs is that I do not personally believe social media addiction has the  same degree of potential to cause harm as regular drug use inadvertently does. The distinction happens between physical harm and psychological harm. This is where I feel the comparison is potentially unstable.

My "Selfie Addiction"

In regard to the "Selfie Addiction" article, I felt the title was a bit misleading, as I literally expected to read all about some sort of new serious phenomena exclusive to selfies. I did, however, find the article extremely relevant and interesting, as I myself am an avid social media user. I have no problem admitting that I spend far too much time connected to the mobile apps on my phone. I often get incredibly frustrated with myself about this truth. I know that being connected to Twitter and Instagram as often as I am is not an entirely good thing. Half the time I don't even know why I log on, because on more occasions than none I find myself temporarily frustrated or annoyed after reading people's posts or seeing certain things online. I've learned now how to shake this sort of turbulence throughout the day and sometimes I resort to staying off of the sites all day (yes, this is a significant amount of time.) Other times, I'll take a tweeting hiatus and not tweet for a solid week. I do still, however, long on and read other people's posts despite the fact that I haven't actively engaged on the timeline that day. I guess this stems more from me not wanting people to know what I'm doing..

We need Google.. today. Vallarie Perez SPC 260

The Googlization of our lives does absolutely compromise our privacy and independence. Anyone who hears or sees your name anywhere has the option of typing your name into Google and reading SOMETHING about you without your knowledge. They can even go as far as to search you in the white pages and access your home address and telephone number if they feel the need to do so. (I didn't know this until I was hired for an office job a few months ago.. it freaked me out.) Google has a pervasive capacity that is limitless. It disintegrates boundaries and provides access to things people who lived in past decades could have never imagined. I find myself wishing that I existed in the fifties or sixties quite often, and then I realize that wishing I existed in the past is pointless. What I admire about those decades though, is the fact that they were able to exist and get through life without being shackled to technology. There was a higher value placed upon establishing meaning on an individual level and a much lower level of dependence. Today's technology has created a false sense of security and validation, making us believe that people who know nothing about us actually care for a second about what we're doing. It makes us believe we're important, but the basis of these feelings, are illusive.

Google- The All Powerful Vallarie Perez SPC 260

In regard to answering whether or not Google has "too much power in our lives," my initial response was to say that it does not, as the internet has become an accepted part of daily life in contemporary society. However, after taking a moment to consider this question more carefully without the bias of today's norms, I'd argue that Google does have too much power and influence in our lives. Despite the fact that there are other means by which answers to certain inquiries, no matter how big or small, can be acquired, we default to Google. The convenience of having access to anything at the tips of our fingers via smartphones and laptops creates a more facile and expedient solution to any problem or confusion we may be experiencing. Instead of taking a moment to genuinely make an attempt at thinking the question or uncertainty through, we simply "Google" it. The desire to use our own intellect and imagination in regard to providing our own answers, whether or not they are correct, has been diminished and it directly affects our creativity without us even being aware that we're starving our own potential and the tools we have within ourselves.

Megan Reardon - Vallarie Perez SPC 260

The first thing that caught my attention about this particular blogger was her alias, "Not Martha." That was clever, and it made me giggle. It was interesting to me that she describes reading people's blogs as if it were like "reading someone's diary," because since blogging was newer at the time its surprising that people were so open to sharing their personal recollections and thoughts on the net. Her reasoning for initially using blogging was basically as an online "post it" for things she wanted to pick up on or reference later. This seems efficient. I should try it since I'm so forgetful. Although taking off comments may seem limited to some, it's probably something I would eventually do myself in order to avoid potential negativity or conflict in response to any personal opinions or ideas I might share, as those types of occurrences are practically inevitable at some point down the road. I like that she calls herself out about being a bit contradictory by disabling comments yet having an online blog to which she shares her thoughts. She has no shame in revealing that her reasoning for creating something like this did in fact stem from her necessity for a certain degree of attention. The fact that she embraces this and owns up to her true reasoning for creating the blog demonstrates character. I liked that. She also incorporates a bit of sass into her response about the question in regard to being "flamed." I enjoyed that also because it was an additional insight to her personality and the way she thinks. I don't follow blogs, but "4,000 unique users a day" seems like a pretty decent amount of people checking up on her. I found it interesting that she basically referred to writing in high school as painstaking. You wouldn't think that someone who didn't enjoy putting their thoughts together would take to online posts, however, once I thought it over, it made a bit more sense to me. Blogging disintegrates any type of creative boundaries, whereas assigned papers have distinct guidelines and points to be met.